Getty Cowboys potential trade target Treylon Burks
There are many holes to consider for the Dallas Cowboys this week, with the draft just days away and free agency having been a major disappointment, with five starters departing and only one significant signing from the outside. It’s not likely the Cowboys will find all their answers when they make their picks this week, and with free agency all but dried up, the only other avenue might well be a trade.
And there is at least one spot at which they could, potentially, fill a hole with a trade: Wide receiver.
The team let former bust No. 3 wideout Michael Gallup go this offseason in a release designed to save precious cap space—$9.5 million all together. Gallup was designated a post-June 1 release back in March, but the move takes effect, essentially, immediately.
At Pro Football Focus, they’re pinning the Cowboys as the potential trade destination for another wide receiver bust, one who has perhaps been even a bigger disappointment than Gallup: Titans receiver Treylon Burks, who is entering his third season after having been a first-rounder (No. 18 overall) in 2022 out of Arkansas.
Cowboys Liked Treylon Burks in 2022
Burks is big, at 6-foor-2 and 225 pounds, but was something of a red flag when he ran just a 4.55-second 40-yard dash at the NFL combine and has noted for struggling on 50-50 balls. Those issues may be part of his struggles in the NFL, but the big problem has been health. Burks has suited up for just 22 games in two seasons.
He was not very productive in those games. He has tallied a total of 49 catches, for 665 yards and one touchdown. Still, he obviously has talent, is only 24 and is in need of a new situation. Coming to Dallas—PFF has the Cowboys designated as a “potential destination” for Burks—as the No. 3 behind CeeDee Lamb and Brandin Cooks might be a more comfortable situation for Burks.
Here’s how PFF’s Marcus Mosher put it: “Burks has been a major disappointment early in his NFL career. … Over the last two seasons, Burks has averaged just 1.28 yards per route run, which ranks 78th among 140 qualifying wide receivers. His 52.4 overall PFF grade was the fifth worst in the NFL last year among receivers with at least 400 snaps.
“One team that makes a lot of sense for Burks is the Dallas Cowboys, who would like to add a receiver at some point this offseason. The Cowboys had Burks ranked as their No. 23 player in the 2022 NFL Draft and could acquire him relatively cheaply.”
‘Bust’ Label Hard to Shake
Indeed, the Cowboys could land Burks for either a late-round pick in this year’s draft or, more likely, a future pick. The Titans have a new coaching staff in place under coach Brian Callahan, and would be willing to move on from past mistakes. Burks qualifies as such.
As AtoZ Sports wondered on Twitter/X and YouTube, “When does Treylon Burks officially become a ‘bust’ for the Titans?”
43 minutes:
“When does Treylon Burks officially become a ‘bust’ for the Titans?” t.co/zjYBX4QBfG
If that time has already arrived, the Cowboys could take a small-time gamble on him. As Mosher pointed out, Dallas did like the guy coming out of Arkansas, of which owner Jerry Jones is famously an alum and fan.
“If the Cowboys don’t draft a wide receiver on the first two days of the draft, don’t be surprised if they call about Burks, who they liked quite a bit just 24 months ago,” PFF noted.